Ohio still has surprises left, even for the most seasoned gardeners. Those who think they’ve
tried everything might not realize that almonds, figs and kiwis, with care, can grow in central
Ohio.

“If the basic requirements are met, they generally are a hit,” said Shelli Berry-McDaniel,
horticulturist with Wilson’s Garden Center in Newark. “Siting in the correct spot and extra
mulching are generally the key to success."

Fruit and nut production can suffer if there’s a late spring frost, she said, but “late frost
can also be detrimental to the rest of our traditional Ohio fruit plants.”

If you’d like to try one of these more unusual plants, here are a few tips to help you get
started.

Almond trees offer more than delicious edible nuts. “They’re also quite striking as an
ornamental,” Berry-McDaniel said. Two cold-hardy varieties well-suited to our area are the
All-in-One almond and the Hall’s Hardy almond. Both produce “profuse pink blooms in the
spring."

The trees need full sun and well-drained soil, and grow 12 to 15 feet tall. They’re
semi-self-fertile. “You will get some nuts with just one tree,” she said, “but if you want a big
crop, plant two.”

Almonds have needs similar to those of peach trees, including protection from late frosts. Each
tree can produce 15 to 20 pounds of nuts a year and will begin producing nuts as early as years
three and four.

Figs originally hail from much warmer areas of the world than Ohio. But those of us in the
frosty North can grow cold-hardy varieties such as Brown Turkey and Chicago Hardy. Brown Turkey is
"one of the hardier cultivars available,” Berry-McDaniel said. It produces fruit in both late
spring and late summer, bearing “medium-sized purplish-brown figs. The sweet pinkish-amber flesh is
excellent for jams, canning, drying and eating fresh.”

Chicago Hardy, supposedly the hardiest fig for our area, is a prolific fruit producer, she said.
It has “brown to violet-colored medium-sized fruit with strawberry-colored pulp. The fruit has
excellent flavor. It’s good fresh, dried or in preserves.”

Both varieties can be grown in containers or planted outside in an area with full sun and some
wind and frost protection. They do need heavy mulching before winter.

Figs in general are self-pollinating. As with most self-pollinating plants, “You will have a
better harvest if you plant two or more,” Berry-McDaniel said, “but the figs are said to produce
quite well with just one.”

Most people don’t associate kiwis with the Midwest, but there are many cold-hardy varieties such
as Anna, Arctic Beauty, Hardy Red, Michigan State hardy, Pasha Arctic and September Sun. Cold-hardy
kiwi can be prolific producers. They grow as vines, from 15 to 20 feet long at maturity, and need a
trellis or support system. They also need full sun.

“They have a sweet taste similar to fuzzy kiwi but are around the size of a grape, and are eaten
the same as a grape,” Berry-McDaniel said. Each vine can produce up to 100 pounds of fruit as early
as three to four years after planting.

You must plant two — a male and a female plant — to get fruit. Only the female vines produce
fruit, and a male vine can pollinate more than one female kiwi. Most reputable nurseries will have
the plant’s sex clearly marked.

Well-stocked local nurseries such as Wilson’s and mail-order tree companies such as Park Seed,
Gurney’s and Stark Bros. sell a range of cold-hardy almonds, figs and kiwis suited to central Ohio’s
growing conditions.